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For every child, the right to Education
Since the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April 2023, Sudan’s humanitarian crisis has continued to deteriorate. Children are facing an escalating education emergency, driven by prolonged conflict, economic instability, and widespread humanitarian challenges. Nearly eight million children, which is almost half of Sudan’s 17 million, are currently out of school, particularly in conflict-affected and remote areas. According to UNICEF and Education Cluster partners, nearly 2,000 schools are being used to shelter displaced families, and only 54% (10,500) of schools had reopened as of October 2025. Even in reopened schools, the learning environment remains severely compromised: classrooms are overcrowded with internally displaced children, learning materials are scarce, and many teachers have either fled conflict zones or remain unpaid, leaving schools understaffed. The destruction of essential infrastructure, such as latrines and water systems, further undermines hygiene and school attendance, especially for girls.
How can you make a difference?
Children who have resumed education in these reopened schools urgently need to regain a sense of normality and safety, as well as catch up on age-appropriate competencies and skills. To address these critical education needs, UNICEF, with funding from the Government of Japan, is implementing a school reopening project across five states: Red Sea, Al Jazirah, Khartoum, North Kordofan, and South Kordofan, benefitting a total of 83,600 school-aged children (ages 6–17; 50% girls) in 220 primary schools. In addition to key components such as community-based rehabilitation and teacher capacity building, the project incorporates a successful initiative from JICA to improve foundational numeracy skills as a pilot intervention in 25 primary schools in Khartoum.
JICA’s mathematics materials have been used under its “School for All” initiative, which has a strong track record of improving foundational numeracy across Africa and other regions. Building on JICA’s approach, existing materials, and lessons learnt, this pilot aims to enhance children’s foundational numeracy skills through a low-cost modality suitable for crisis-affected settings, avoiding complex preparation and investment. While addressing disrupted learning that has left children’s numeracy skills lagging behind, the pilot also lays the groundwork for future scale-up by exploring the relevance and effectiveness of the mathematics worksheets.
JICA Mathematics Worksheets in Arabic (Niger Version)
JICA Mathematics Worksheets in English for Reference
The pilot will be implemented through extracurricular remedial lessons in 25 selected primary schools in Khartoum (Karrari, Jebel Awlia, Um Bada, Bahri, and Sharg An Neel localities). Each school will target 30 learners identified through a pre‑test as not meeting age‑ or grade‑appropriate numeracy benchmarks. Learners will attend 45‑minute remedial sessions once or twice per week for 2-3 months, following their morning regular classes. Teachers and implementing partner NGOs will closely monitor learning progress throughout the cycle, with a summative post‑test administered at the end of the intervention.
Main Tasks
The consultant will work closely with UNICEF, Khartoum State Ministry of Education, The Federal Ministry of Education, implementing partner NGOs, and other relevant education stakeholders and authorities. The main tasks include:
Task 1: Contextualise JICA’s Mathematics Worksheets (Arabic) Developed in Niger
• Review the JICA-developed mathematics worksheets (Grades 1–4) and assess their relevance to Sudan’s mathematics curriculum.
• Reorder topics within the worksheets to ensure alignment with Sudan’s curriculum sequence.
• Introduce minor adjustments to the Arabic language and illustrations to ensure suitability for the Sudanese context.
• Facilitate discussions with focal points from the Khartoum State Ministry of Education and implementing partner NGOs throughout the contextualisation process.
• Conduct a small pilot of contextualised worksheets to validate before finalising.
• Ensure that all meetings with ministry officials are documented and recorded.
• Ensure formal Ministry of Education approval of the contextualised mathematics worksheets and define a clear and time-bound roadmap for their institutional adoption and potential scale-up.
Task 2: Monitor Learners’ Progress
•Drawing on JICA’s available assessment tools used in other countries and on mathematics competencies defined in Sudan’s curriculum, develop simple pre‑ and post‑tests for Grades 1–4, including answer keys.
• Each test should be designed to be completed within a maximum of 30 minutes and will be used both for identifying target students and for monitoring their learning progress.
• Analyse and document the test results to assess the relevance and effectiveness of the remedial lessons using the contextualised worksheets.
Task 3: Support the Development of a Teacher Training Package
Using JICA’s available materials and lessons learned from its initiatives in other countries, support UNICEF in developing training materials for mathematics teachers who will deliver remedial lessons using the contextualised worksheets.
• The training should introduce the worksheets, interactive teaching approaches, the rotation teaching modality, and methods for identifying the appropriate grade level for each target student.
• The package includes an overview of the worksheet structure, guidance for administering pre- and post-tests, sample lesson plans with suggested interactive activities tailored to Sudanese classroom realities (e.g., low-resource settings), and a facilitation guide for trainers.
Deliverables
1. Initial analysis report (English) on the JICA Mathematics Worksheets (Grades 1–4), including commonalities, differences, and recommendations for adaptation.
2. Sudan-contextualised Mathematics Worksheets (Grades 1–4) in Sudanese Arabic.
3. Pre‑ and post‑tests, with answer keys, for Grades 1–4 in Sudanese Arabic.
4. Teacher training materials in Sudanese Arabic.
5. Final report (English) analysing the relevance and effectiveness of the JICA worksheets, based on pre- and post-test results and classroom observations, including recommendations for potential scale-up.
Time Frame
The assignment will take place between February/March to August, with the final report due by 31 August 2026. Indicative time allocation:
• 5 days for the initial analysis
• 20 days for worksheet contextualisation and development of pre‑ and post‑tests
• 15 days for supporting the creation of the teacher training package
• 7 days for the final report
Accountability and Reporting
The consultant will work under the supervision of UNICEF Sudan, in close collaboration with the Khartoum State Ministry of Education, implementing partner NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders, including teachers, parents/caregivers, and children in the 25 target schools.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements and qualifications:
1. MA or other advanced university degree in mathematics education/pedagogy, or in one of the following fields: basic education, foundational literacy and numeracy, or curriculum and instruction, is required.
2. Expertise in numeracy skills acquisition and in Sudan’s mathematics curriculum and pedagogy.
3. A minimum of five years’ professional experience in mathematics education. Primary-level teaching experience is an advantage.
4. Experience working with the UN or international organisations is considered an asset.
5. Strong skills in design, development, analysis, cultural awareness, and excellent communication abilities in both Arabic and English. 6. The consultant must also be able to work effectively under tight deadlines.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
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Remarks:
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